coster



F. E. FOSTER.

FENCEPOST.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 7. 191?.

1,815,016. Pate1 1tedSept.2,19l9.

sawrns PATENT OFFICE.

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AppIication filed March 7,

To all whom it may concern: 1 Be it known that I, lum n. FosTEn, a citizen 1 of the United States, residing at the city of St. Louis,in the State of Missouri, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Fenceposts,of which the followingis a specification.

This invention consists] in an improved form of rail-carbon or vanadium steelfencepost with anchor, and when made of that material is cheaplyproduced from scrap bent in the form of one and one-half inch by one and one-half inch by one-eigl1th inch angle-irons. It is to be understood, however, that other material or other sizes of the said material may be used.

In the accompanying drawings forming part of this specification and in which like numbers of reference denote like parts Wherever they occur,

Figure 1 is a side elevation of one fencepost, viewing the same from the outside of the angle;

Fig. 2 is aside elevation of the same, viewing it from the inside of the angle;

Fig. 3 is a side elevation showing a plu rality of the said fence posts bolted together;

Fig. 4: is a sectional View on the line l4: in Fig. 3;

Fig. 5 is a sectional view on the line 5-5 in Fig. 2; and

Fig. 6 shows one of these fence-posts used as a brace for another (said figure beingon a reduced scale).

Each fence-post is composed of an anglei iron having a twisted strap riveted thereto.

The strap 1 is preferably bent at about its middle to an angle that will conform to the angle of the angle-iron 2, and is riveted at 3 and 1 to the wings?) and 6 of the angleiron 2. Preferably, in order that the 0011- struction depicted in Figs. 8 and 4% may be assembled, the strap 1 is located upon the inside of the angle-iron 2, as shown in section in Fig. 5.

The strap 1 is intended as a ground anchor for the post, and may be located at any desired or suitable point on the angleiron 2, but away from the sharp point 7, so as to reduce the depth of excavation necessary to receive the wings 8 and 9 of the strap 1. The sharp point 7 allows the post to be easily driven into the ground any desired distance. Usually the operation of placing one of these posts will consist, first,

Mir

Specification of Letters Patent. Paflgegnfed Sept. i 1919.

195.7. serial in). 153,124.

in making an excavation as deep as the point where itisdesired for the anchor to remain embedded [in the, ground, then driving thepost by, means of its sharp point 7 into the ground until the anchor rests upon the floor of the said excavatiomandthen filling and tamping theearth tofill' the said ground for the uses usual with fence-posts.

. Theshape of the wings 8 and 9 is shown I in the drawings, and is produced by bending the extreme ends of strap 1 until the said extreme ends lie in a plane at approximately a right angle to the plane of that part of the strap at the point where the same is riveted to angle-iron 2. Intermediate between the said angle-iron 2 and the said extreme ends of the strap 1 a bend as at 10 in the strap is formed which gives the same great resisting strength against an upward pull applied to the post, while the fact that the extreme ends of the said strap 1 lie in a plane horizontal to the surface ofthe ground gives the same increased capacity for impingement with the superimposed earth, and thereby affords larger anchorage surface.

The bend 10 in the strap 1 or anchormember, it is observed, as will be seen in assembling or grouping a plurality of the anchor-members 1, as in Figs. 3 and 4, prorides for disposing the right-angled inner portions of the anchor members so as to conform to, or fit flush against, the opposite sides of the wings of the groups of an gular posts and at the same time provides for disposing the portions 8 and 9 of the plurality of anchor members in edgewise contact with each other.

In case a fence-post of greater strength or solidity or substantiality is required than one of the units illustrated in Figs. 1, 2, and 5 (as may be the case in the erection of sand fences, snow fences, or the like and at corners or other points of ordinary fences), such stronger posts may be formed from the units herein described and illus trated in Figs. 1, 2, and 5 by combining two or more of the same, there being a group or assemblage of four such units illustrated in Figs. 3 and 1 bolted together at 10. Other means of clamping the same into a unitary structure may be used. When bundled together, as shown in Figs. 3 and 4, the anchorage afforded by the increase of impinging surface due to the multiplication of wings 8 and 9 is very great, and the resulting structure from the combined plurality of angle-irons 2, while still. resilient, is quite substantial.

Another mode of combining a plurality of units such as shown in Figs. 1, 2, and 5 for the purpose of strengthening the fence at a certain point or at predetermined points is illustrated in Fig. 6, in which one of the said units is shown inclined like a brace and bolted at 11 to an upright unit, the anchorage part of which being embedded in the ground.

Having thus described this invention, I hereby reserve the benefit of all changes in form, arrangement, order or use of parts,

as it is evident that many minor changes may be made therein Without departing from the spirit of this invention.

I claim:

A plurality of fence posts right angular in cl'OSS section and arranged to abut against each other, anchor plates bent at their center portions to form right angular flange portions, to snugly fit in the right angular portions of the posts, each anchor plate being twisted beyond the edges of the post to form a horizontal anchor portion, the edges of pairs of the horizontal portions abutting, and rivets extending through the abutting posts and adjacent anchor plates to fasten same together.

In testimony whereof I hereunto aflix my signature.

FRED E. FOSTER.

Go'piesot this patent may be obtained for five'cfents each, by addressing; the Commissioner of Patents,

' Washington, D. G. 

